New School, No School, and School Dancing

The other day, we took a tour of the new school being built.  It got us all excited for next year.  It's supposed to be done by the beginning of next year.  They're planning to get the roof and walls done before winter, so that they can work on the inside all winter long with the snow.

This will be where the library is

This is the hallway.  Classrooms on both sides.  I'm standing where the entrance/office will be

Front of the school (opposite the library/where I was standing in the last picture)

Walking down the hallway through the classrooms

Second entrance, right outside the gym.  There will be bathrooms here.

The gym.  Why we left one part of the roof open, I do not know...

The gym.  We will have 6 nets and bleachers on both sides.  So excited!

They fixed up the elementary wing and basically gave us a new elementary school and classrooms.  Now we get a brand new high school and gym.

We have been having plumbing problems in the village.  First, we lost pressure.  Then they fixed it.  Second, we had to boil our water because our water treatment center wasn't working.  Third, one of the two pumps overheated and there was smoke coming out of the water treatment plant.  So we lost pressure again in the village.  So we couldn't use the toilets, or shower, or anything.  Because there was no pump to get rid of the water.  Then they fixed it.  We still need to boil the water to drink it, but it's getting better.  It's been a mess.  It's better than Mountain Village though.  They have had a boil water notice for over a year.  And when you shower it's dirty water with some brown in it.  Sometimes rocks.  It's fun.  :)

So we canceled the second half of school on Thursday when all the water problems happened.  Yay, free day.  Or not.  Meetings, paperwork, and collaboration time was spent.  It was productive.  I have to take a moment to talk about my students.  I am so proud of them this year.  We have moved from a level system to the traditional carnegy system.  It's a big change.  To make a long story short, it's something that the students haven't learned from before.  They haven't had letter grades before.  It was pass or fail.  And if you didn't do it, you could make it up later.  Now, it's percentages and grade point averages, and eligibility.  The kids are worried to be eligible to play sports.  So they're all freaked to get a 2.0 GPA in order to do Junior High NYO, Wrestling, and Volleyball this semester.  After Christmas, they have to have had an overall 2.0 this semester to be eligible for High School NYO, and Basketball.  They're worried, but they can all do it.  They are working so hard.  Students that have been behavior problems in the past are staying in class, raising their hands, and completing their work.  I'm holding study hall after school everyday and a lot of kids stay after to finish homework they didn't finish in school.  A lot of the teachers keep telling me how proud they are of the students for working so hard and answering questions.  Yay kids!!!

We went to SPED teacher training in Mountain a few weeks ago.  Here are some pics.  We had fun as always, but we'd rather be back home teaching the kids, as usual.

A beautiful rainbow with beautiful girls.  Me, Dianna, Amy Jo, and Alondra

Berry Picking (and Alondra snagging my photo)

Me and Amy Jo

Amy Jo and I got slushies... :)

The plane was full...

We had our Back to School Eskimo Dance yesterday.  The community gives the students supplies for the school year and then has dancing.  It was great to see what the students got and then see the new teachers' reactions to the dancing.  I was a little embarrassed because I walked in a little late (not a big deal. People come and go from the dances all the time) while they were passing out the supplies to the students.  As soon as I came in, about 20 students screamed out, "Hi Miss Chomic!"  I was so embarrassed because a.) they brought attention to when I walked in, and b.) they shouted out while the community was passing out gifts.  It was nice to have the greeting and see the kids, I just hope I don't get in trouble for the interruption! :)

He is an awesome dancer.  I love to watch him.  I don't remember his name though...

The kids' dance is by far the most popular. When the drummers start playing it, everyone starts to clap.

One of my students.  He got excited when he saw I was taking pictures.

Our Home/School Coordinator, Tommy

Ellen, one of my student's mom.  She is awesome to watch dance.  She gets so happy.  And it's so natural for her.

My Assistant Principal, Jerry, and his wife (second grade teacher), Brenda

Our Middle School English and Social Studies teacher, Chuck, and his wife, Shirley

It never fails that when I go out, I always end up with a baby.  This was one of the student's nieces.  She is about a month old.  So Beautiful.

I just thought you'd like to see a picture of Amy Jo, the other sped teacher

Visiting the Other Villages

On Monday Amy and I went to Alakanuk to bring a high needs student his equipment.  He moved to Alakanuk this school year.  It really changes the dynamics in our program without him.  We'll miss him so much!!!  Stella drove Amy Jo and I over there with her boat.  It was so entertaining to see all the stuff in the boat.  I told Amy Jo that this was full-on Bush life.  Amy Jo was able to see her mom and dad while we were in Alakanuk.  They're teaching there and lovin it so far! :) Her mom is teaching kindergarten, and her dad is teaching 7-12 social studies.

Stella driving the boat

Most of the stuff we put into the boat

Amy Jo on her first boat ride!

Amy Jo and her parents

We had our first day of school on Tuesday!  We were so excited.  It didn't go all too bad.  We have a newly remodeled elementary side and they're building a new gym and high school for us, so it's all really new in our school.  So the fact that we got through the first day without too many hiccups, it was impressive.  They have taken our special education room in the elementary to give to the 5th grade teacher.  We learned 6 days before the start of school that we lost a classroom due to the remodel.  They had to use it to do construction.  So at the last minute Tom (our principal) decided to move our sped room on the elementary side to "the cave" as we've named it.  It is basically part of the hallway that had a half wall, that now the workers have closed in completely.  It's amazing.  Amy Jo and I just laugh.  I think it was the best decision for the entire school to put us in this area, instead of taking a classroom away from someone else (since we have the high school room too), but it just stinks because it's a cave... At first, Amy had 2 lights in there.  And not large lights...lights that are about 3 inches in diameter and are 2 stories about you... it was dark - hence the cave.  Then, she finally got furniture in there and found out she has no light switch.  They framed in the switch.  Now, she tried to lock the door and they put the door on backwards.  You can lock it from the inside, not the outside.  So we can't secure anything in the room.  It's amazing.

They're starting on building the walls

The walls are in

However the door is on the wrong way...

It was so exciting to see all of our kids again and see them excited for school.  I gave them homework on the first day, and needless to say they were not happy.  But I won't be back to school until Tuesday, so it would be a whole week lost.  I told them they didn't need to start it until today. :) It's just reading a book and writing in a journal.  No biggie.  However, they think it's a biggie.

Today, we traveled to Mountain Village for our annual sped-teacher-the-first-week-of-school training.  We will be here until Friday night.  There is no drinking water.  It's straight from the river.  So, it's a bit brown when shower, wash your hands, go to the bathroom, brush your teeth...it's amazing.  Soooo...I think I'm going to be dirty for a little bit.  It's exciting to see all my sped friends here again in Mountain. Phoebe is here at the training.  She got engaged this summer.  She is very excited.  They're getting married July 14 next year.

Me, Dianna, Amy Jo, and Alondra heading to go berry picking

There were a few rainbows tonight :)

I went berry picking a couple hours ago!  It was awesome.  It's one thing I have been looking forward to because I've never been.  Phoebe, Alondra, Amy Jo and I went.  It was fun.  We just walked down the road a few hundred yards and found some berry bushes and went picking.  Now I'm excited because I'm staying where there is Internet, so I'm able to catch up on everything.  So I'll talk again soon!

Amy Jo picking berries

Phoebe picking berries

Me picking berries while Alondra photo-bombed...

FUN!!!

Having the greatest time out on the river!!!

Okay, we had 2 professional development days.  But outside of work, it has been awesome.  I went out with Mock and Rile twice.  The first time I went to the Bering Sea for the first time (actually on it!!!) and we saw 2 whales.  Well, the spouts of them.  They never surfaced close enough for me to see them exactly, but it was awesome!!!!

Mock's Camp

Mock and Me

I was trying to get a picture of the whales' spouts

Beautiful sun on the Bering Sea

Then we went out again Friday.  I say 3 moose swimming in the river.  How awesome?! It brings my total moose count to...8 I believe that I have seen...?

How cool?!

It gets onto the land

And climbs up the hill

On our way home...East side

West Side...They are literally ( ;) Jess) taken seconds apart

On Saturday, I went to Stella's camp.  OMG So Fun!!!  We made dry fish and strips.  It was a blast.  It was nice to get out of the village, hang out with Stella and her family, and do some work that was Native work.  I can't explain how wonderful of a feeling it was to be there.  I'm feeling so blessed that I'm being welcomed into the village so much.  Thank you Eskimos!!!

Riding in the boat to camp

The scenery on the way to camp

We brought Stella's brother, Happy's, dog with us

The main house at camp

The view from the house.  To the right is where we cut up the fish and the smoke house

Stella making the brine.  She was a witch with a caldron!

K hanging up dry fish

Stella's mom is an elder...and is awesome at making the dry fish and strips.  It seemed like she didn't even try...it was so natural for her.

Smoke house

Stella's sons, Brandon and Stephen, and nephew, Justin, cleaning and gutting the fish.  They would do it in the water so they could then drive the guts out into the water to dump them so that the moose and bears wouldn't come to eat them at camp; and because it smells on land when they rot.

Cutting and filleting fish

What we began with.  170 fish.  We did 122 that day.  Dry fish and strips.

Stella filleting...she got fired.  She switched with her mom because she was making the fillets too thick :)

I was able to do one dry fish.  It was an honor.  Most of the time I got the fish out of the buckets, cut out the bellies, got the fins ready, gave them to Stella's mom, she filleted, I took them to Stella, Stella made it into dry fish, then I salted and hung the fish.  It was an awesome and hard process!!! :)

I'm Home

I have had so much fun in the short amount of time I've been home.  I was out on the river on Tuesday. We went to the Baloonawik (yes, I'm sure it's spelled wrong) which is basically a slew that leads to a meadow.  It was so beautiful.  Then we went around Emo, and out to the coastline.  Mock made me walk on the ocean. :)  Basically I walked on the mud that has a little water on it.  It was so pretty and awesome.

J sharpening the spear's point in case we see seals

The boat by the coast

The coast of the Bering Sea

We then went back home but stopped on the way to have a fire to dry off.  (it might have been raining basically the whole time we were out) So we took off our coats, rain gear, and sweatshirts and hung them on a line we made and started a fire.  Of course, the white girl didn't hang her coat right, it got caught in the wind, and it blew onto the fire.  It now has a lovely melted hole in the back and arm.  Mock wants me to throw it away.  I think it's an awesome keepsake :).

J and R throwing spears 

Then we kept on our way home and caught a duck, two beavers, and saw a lot of birds and 3 moose.  They were beautiful.  Mock really wants me to shoot a moose this year, but I don't see it happening.  I'm not really quick enough to get one...

My turn to throw a spear...I wasn't as good...but in my defense it was my first time.  They've been doing it since they were born.

I've been trying to unpack my house and classroom.  I haven't had a lot of motivation.  I've met all the new teachers - they all seem really nice and I'm looking forward to the year.

Yesterday I went to one of my students/athlete's birthday party.  He just got back to Emo yesterday (on his birthday) so his mom planned a big party to see him again.  He was away at camp for 24 days.  His family missed him a lot.  It was very nice of his mom to invite me.  She said that they haven't had a teacher to their house in about 15 years, so I felt very honored.  They treated me so well and kept making sure that I had plenty to eat and drink and that I had a seat.  I just wanted to go and celebrate - not be a big deal.  It was nice to see my student again and all his siblings and family.  He is going to Mt. Edgecombe this year (a family tradition - they all go when they reach high school) for high school.  I will definitely miss him a lot.  He is an awesome kid that has a lot of potential.

This is the student's whose birthday it was (on the right :) )

Eating dinner at his party with some of his friends and siblings

His mom, Darlene, and cousin

I haven't had internet until yesterday, so that's why I've been hidden.  I'll post again soon.  Tom just picked up all my meat :).